Ukraine — books & literature

The story of Ukraine

Ukraine's story begins with Kyivan Rus, a medieval state founded around Kyiv circa 882 CE that grew into one of the largest and most powerful realms in Europe, adopting Christianity in 988 and giving rise to the cultural inheritance shared today by Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. After Mongol invasions fractured Rus in the 13th century, Ukrainian lands passed through Lithuanian, Polish, and Cossack rule, with the 17th-century Cossack Hetmanate forging an enduring sense of Ukrainian identity and self-governance. Centuries under the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires followed, interrupted by a brief independent Ukrainian People's Republic in 1918 before absorption into the Soviet Union in 1922. The 20th century brought immense suffering, including the Holodomor famine of 1932-33 and the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Ukraine declared independence from the USSR on 24 August 1991, and has since built a democratic state while navigating the Orange Revolution of 2004 and the Euromaidan revolution of 2014. Since Russia's full-scale invasion began on 24 February 2022, Ukraine has drawn global attention for its resistance and resilience. Today it remains one of Europe's largest nations by land area, rich in literature, folk art, and a fiercely defended national identity.

Timeline — key moments

1. circa 882

   Prince Oleg unites Novgorod and Kyiv, founding Kyivan Rus.

2. 988

   Prince Vladimir the Great adopts Christianity as the state religion of Kyivan Rus.

3. 1240

   Mongol invasion sacks Kyiv, fracturing the Rus state.

4. 1648

   Bohdan Khmelnytsky leads a Cossack uprising, forming the Cossack Hetmanate.

5. 1918

   Ukrainian People's Republic declares independence amid the Russian Revolution.

6. 1922

   Ukraine becomes a founding republic of the Soviet Union.

7. 1932-1933

   The Holodomor famine kills millions of Ukrainians.

8. 1986

   The Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the world's worst civilian nuclear accident.

9. 1991

   Independence from the Soviet Union declared (24 August).

10. 2014

    Euromaidan revolution; Russia annexes Crimea and war begins in Donbas.

11. 2022

    Russia launches a full-scale invasion of Ukraine (24 February).

Top 10 things to know about Ukraine

1. Kyiv is one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe, with roots reaching back over 1,500 years.
2. Ukraine is the largest country whose territory lies entirely within Europe.
3. Kyivan Rus is considered the shared cultural ancestor of Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus.
4. Ukrainian chernozem (black soil) is among the richest farmland on Earth, earning the country the nickname "breadbasket of Europe".
5. Ukrainian is the official language, written in the Cyrillic script.
6. The Holodomor of 1932-33 is recognized by many countries as a genocide against the Ukrainian people.
7. The 1986 Chernobyl disaster remains the world's worst civilian nuclear accident.
8. Ukraine surrendered the world's third-largest nuclear arsenal in 1994 under the Budapest Memorandum.
9. Since February 2022, Ukraine has resisted one of the largest wars in Europe since World War II.
10. Ukrainian folk traditions, including pysanky (painted eggs) and vyshyvanka embroidery, are treasured cultural symbols worldwide.

Famous people from Ukraine

Say it in Ukraine's language

Did you know?

• ★Kyiv's Arsenalna metro station is one of the deepest in the world, over 100 metres underground.
• ★Chernozem (black soil) covers roughly two-thirds of Ukraine's territory, among the most fertile land on Earth.
• ★Ukrainian borscht was added to UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage in 2022.

Ukraine culture

• The vyshyvanka, an embroidered shirt with regional patterns, is a proud national symbol.
• Borscht, a beet-based soup, is the defining dish of Ukrainian cuisine.
• The bandura, a traditional stringed instrument, accompanies the historic kobzari bard tradition.
• Easter pysanky, intricately dyed and patterned eggs, are a centuries-old folk art still practiced today.

Why read Ukraine's books

Ukrainian literature stretches from the epic chronicles of Kyivan Rus through the national poetry of Taras Shevchenko to a modern generation of writers documenting war, resilience, and identity , a tradition worth exploring on the shelves below.